Generationals deliver an intimate, upbeat performance at the Biltmore

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      The two-piece Generationals, a rock band from New Orleans, first played in Vancouver less than a year ago at the Media Club for $12, so one can imagine the outrage when they dared to raise the price to a gaudy $13 for June 13’s performance at the Biltmore.

      But if the crowd was put off by the dollar increase, it didn’t show, as the venue was tightly packed with Generationals devotees.

      For a band with three studio albums and two EPs under its belt, many of which were well-received, there was a definite feeling that leads Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner (with help on drums and bass for touring purposes), could have been playing a much bigger stage, a reality not lost on those in attendance, who were constantly raving about the choice in location.

      Touring in support of its new album, Heza, Generationals didn’t hesitate to showcase its April release, starting off the show with the album’s first track, the rousing “Spinoza”.

      The boys from Louisiana have a way with catchy tunes and busted out one of the catchiest, “Ten-Twenty-Ten” (from their second album, Actor-Caster), shortly into their set. This enraptured the crowd, with Generationals telling the throng that this time in Vancouver had already been so much better than the first.

      Even if it was a bald-faced lie, the audience loved it, and the night was a straight-up party from then on.

      As the set was nearing its end, Generationals gave its fans what they wanted, circling around to its first hit, the '60s-style swinger “When They Fight, They Fight”, generating loud roars from the swaying mass.

      That was followed up with a cover of the Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love” and Heza’s most popular track, the hand-clapping, melody-driven “Put A Light On”.

      The band left the stage shortly after that in a bit of a cheeky maneuver, but everyone in the building knew they were getting the encore: a couple more songs from their older albums with “Yours Forever” and “Nobody Could Change Your Mind”.

      After the band departed, this time for good, the crowd was left to reflect on an intimate, upbeat performance and the realization that next time the New Orleans rockers come to Vancouver, it likely won’t be on a stage this small, and probably for more than $13. 

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